a) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a fixing structure for an outer ring in a one-way clutch which is used as a torque-transmitting or backstop component in a drive system of an automotive vehicle or the like.
b) Description of the Related Art
In FIG. 7, the basic construction of a one-way clutch is shown with a portion thereof having been cut away. Illustrated in this drawing are an outer ring 10, an inner ring 20, a side wall 60 mounted on a side wall of the outer ring 10, rollers 50, springs 70, spring anchors 80, and a cam surface 90 formed on an inner peripheral wall of the outer ring 10. When the inner ring 20 rotates clockwise as indicated by arrow R.sub.1, the inner ring 20 simply idles. The mechanism of such a one-way clutch mechanism is well known in the art, so that its detailed description is omitted herein.
FIG. 8 illustrates the above one-way clutch as assembled on a housing 45. Each spline 15 of the outer ring 10 is fitted in a corresponding keyway 46 in the housing 45. Designated at symbol 45a is an inner wall of the housing 45. Numeral 30 indicates a stopper ring for limiting any axial movement of the one-way clutch.
FIG. 9 shows, on an enlarged scale, a spline-fitted portion of the housing 45. The housing 45 is a casting so that no accurate dimensions can be expected thereon. To cope with this problem, an angular clearance a is left between the spline 15 of the outer ring 10 and a wall of its corresponding keyway 46 of the housing 45.
Whenever the inner ring 20 idles in the direction indicated by arrow R.sub.1 in FIG. 7 or rotates in an opposite direction, the outer ring 10 is also caused to rotate in the same direction as the inner ring 20. As a result, a side wall of each spline 15 is caused to hit a side wall of the associated keyway 46 so that a sharp metallic hitting noise is hence produced.
As is illustrated in FIG. 8, it has therefore been devised to prevent any axial movement of the outer ring 10 for the prevention of production of a sharp metallic noise by interposing a spring 40 between an outer peripheral side wall of the outer ring 10 and the inner wall 45a of the housing so that the outer ring 10 is held immovably in an axial direction.
The spring 40 is however a separate part so that the spring 40 has to be assembled at the user's end prior to assembling the one-way clutch on the housing 45. This has resulted in the drawbacks that more assembling steps are needed and the assembly work is cumbersome and time-consuming.